The one true Scotsman courtesy of The Simpsons
Religious believers often claim to be the very model of morality. They often flip open their holy books and search for that page with that verse which talks about peace and love and how everyone should be virtuous. Meanwhile, millions of their fellow believers lie, steal, murder, rape, and oppress all in the name of the very same religion. They too can flip open that very same holy book and on almost any page find a verse to support their clearly immoral actions. But they aren’t true believers or are they?
Philosopher Antony Flew called these believers out when he came up with the “No True Scotsman” fallacy. The story goes like this: A Scotsman reads about a murderer from a neighboring country and remarks that no Scotsman would perpetrate such a crime. The next day, he reads about a murderer from his own country and rather than recant his previous view that no Scotsman would do such a crime when presented with the evidence, he continues to hold his position by claiming that no true Scotsman would do such a crime.
With religious believers it is much the same. Sure there are a few really positive verses in almost any religious text or holy book. There needs to be at least something redeemable in them at least. But holy books are also generally pretty dated and tend to advocate lots of horrible atrocities as well. In fact, holy books usually have far more passages and verses advocating violence and hate than they do advocating peace and love.
Some believers will focus on the handful of passages about peace and love while others will focus on the violence and hate. Each believer will find some justification for discounting the passages what don’t support their worldview and insist that no true believer could interpret the text in such a manner. The text clearly says that you need to be virtuous, but exactly what that means seems open to interpretation.
That is the reality of the situation after all. These holy books which claim to have been inspired by the perfect creator of the universe are not all that clear. It seems that the perfect creator of the universe could not convey his intentions very clearly at all. People can read the same holy book and get completely opposite divine instructions from it. One would hope that a perfect deity would be a better writer and communicator.
But this hasn’t stopped the true believer who claims that no true believer could get such a differing interpretation from the text. Instead of acknowledging the obvious flaw in the holy book which allows for reasonable people to interpret it in diametrically opposing ways, the true believer blames the reader rather than the text.
But wouldn’t a perfect and all-knowing deity have been able to see that flaw coming and make the text so clear that any idiot would understand it perfectly? Let me give an easy example. It would be very hard to find someone so stupid that they would read the book, “The Lorax” and interpret it to mean that trees are evil and must be cut down. The fact is that there is very little interpretation needed for Dr. Seuss’s book and yet he is not perfect and all-knowing.
The reality is that there are two types of interpretations we can have, a reasonable interpretation and an unreasonable interpretation. In the former case a book (holy or not) means what a reasonable person can reasonably deduce its meaning to be. If ten reasonable people read it, they will all get roughly the same meaning out of it. In the latter case, mental gymnastics are involved. The reader has to explain why something doesn’t mean what a reasonable person would assume it means.
While not all books should be reasonably interpreted, holy books certainly should. It is perfectly understandable for a poem or some other work of fiction to be open to the reader’s interpretation, but when we are talking about a book alleged to have been written by a divine being as a guide for humanity, it shouldn’t be open to interpretation at all. It should be crystal clear and every reasonable person who wished to follow it would be a true Scotsman. There would be no question about it.
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Comments
The Qur'an already responded to your objection that spiritual laws are not clear.
And We have revealed unto thee the Book comprising the truth and fulfilling that which was revealed before it in the Book, and as a guardian over it. Judge, therefore, between them by what Allah has revealed, and follow not their evil inclinations, turning away from the truth which has come to thee. For each of you We prescribed a clear spiritual Law and a manifest way in secular matters. And if Allah had enforced His will, He would have made you all one people, but He wishes to try you by that which He has given you. Vie, then, with one another in good works. To Allah shall you all return; then will He inform you of that wherein you differed. (5:49)
I'll have an article on this up soon too with a more thorough response. Thanks for putting this up.
Thank you for posting this. Just Saturday morning I was given the "no true Christian" would... speech. Stubborn lot, and unfortunately stupid for not allowing reason and logic to open their minds.
Qasim, I don't see how that addressed this issue at all. Also, "evil inclinations" is rather vague. I think most of the people in the Middle East consider allowing women to show skin as an "evil inclination" which tempts man. You are still claiming to be the one true Scotsman and yet there are so many people also claiming to be the one true Muslim Scotsman who disagree with your view. To them, you are the false Muslim and they have verses to prove it. You can argue that out with them and I know you do, but if your deity of choice had written a clear holy book, you wouldn't have to.
The holy book could be perfectly clear and still people wouldn't be forced to believe it or follow it. So your claim about Allah enforcing his will is simply misplaced here.
It really is funny. I usually argue with Christians and they use the exact same arguments you do. Different myth, same old arguments.
Any true Christian would understand that there are no good christians- not one. We are the problem with the world- that is why Christ's sacrifice is a gift we only but need to accept. Extremists use religion for evil, but real Christianity is about hope in a world of darkness. And all religions do not lead to the same place- they contradict each other. Atheism is a religion and it contradicts with most of the other religions in the world.
Staks - Like I said, I'll write a response to this article addresing its argument. I'll try to have it up in a day or two, keep an eye out.
Religion is whatever man needs for it to be in order to maintain control over the masses. Divide and conquer, by whatever means necessary. Our ignorance is just another tool, utilized by the wealthy to achieve this goal. It's just too easy, so why not?
How many times, I will go bald before my time having to say this over and over again whilst pulling my hair.
Adam. Atheism is not, has never been and will never be at any point in time a religion.
Religion:
a set of beliefs concerning the cause, nature, and purpose of the universe, esp. when considered as the creation of a superhuman agency or agencies, usually involving devotional and ritual observances, and often containing a moral code governing the conduct of human affairs.
a specific fundamental set of beliefs and practices generally agreed upon by a number of persons or sects
something one believes in and follows devotedly; a point or matter of ethics or conscience
There is, unfortunately, some disagreement about the definition of atheism. It's interesting to note that most of that disagreement comes from theists (cont)
(cont) atheists themselves tend to agree on what atheism means. Christians in particular dispute the definition used by atheists and insist that atheism means something very different.
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